Over 3.7 million people in the UK are living with diabetes and a further seven million people are at high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Croydon Diabetes Network has organised a series of events to raise awareness of the condition, to which carers are welcome to attend. For further information about the Network, which also produces a regular newsletter and runs a patient, families and carers group, contact Daniel MacIntyre on 020 8274 6101 or email daniel.macintyre@croydonpct.nhs.

Monday 11 June, 10.30am-12.30pm Diabetes Awareness at Croydon BME Forum, Palmcroy House, 387 London Road, Croydon CR0 3PB.

Tuesday 12 June, 11am-4.30pm, Diabetes Awareness at the Healthy Living Hub, Croydon Clocktower, Katharine Street, Croydon CR9 1ET. Diabetes and Mental Health Talk, 3-4pm at the Community Centre, Bethlem Hospital, Monks Orchard Road, Beckenham BR3 3BX.

Thursday 14 June, 10am-2pm, Diabetes and Diet Advice/Information, POP Bus Service, outside Jobcentre Plus, 72 High Street, Thornton Heath CR7 8YY.

Monday 18 June, 7.30-8.30pm, Diabetes and Exercise Talk, Purley Diabetes UK Group, United Reform Church, 906 Brighton Road, Purley CR8 2LN.

Carers Week is a UK wide annual awareness campaign during which the UK's six million unpaid carers are celebrated and recognised for the vital contribution they make. The week is co-ordinated by Carers UK, see www.carersweek.org for more details.  A number of organisations in Croydon will be running events, many of which are designed to reach out to people in the community who may not know that they are carers:

Croydon Carers Centre has a launch party on Monday 18 June from 11.30am at their office in 12 Katharine Street (opposite the town hall). For details of this and other events they are organising call 020 8688 7219.

The Carers' Information Service staff will be available on the POP bus, which will be parked at North End, Croydon (opposite the Whitgift Almshouses) on Tuesday 19 June, 10am-2pm, along with Croydon Hearing Resource Centre, a pharmacist and a health visitor. Our information and advice team will also be available at Croydon University Hospital (main entrance foyer) on Wednesday 20 June, 11am-2pm, where you can drop by for a free information pack and a chat. We are also offering carers the opportunity to come to a workshop on diet and nutrition on Tuesday 26 June, 10am-3pm at a venue in South Croydon. To book a place, contact Ruth Laws on 020 8649 6280 or email ruthlaws@carersinfo.org.uk.

The Crossroads Carers Support Service (020 8667 9893) will have an information stand at the front of Sainsburys, 66 Westow Street, Upper Norwood SE19 3AF from 10am-2pm on Tuesday 19 June and at Croydon University Hospital on Friday 22 June, 12-3pm.

Croydon Mencap is offering a coach trip to Brighton on Sunday 24 June, for older carers (over 60) of an adult with a learning disability. They are also holding a lunch on Wednesday 20 June at the Toby Carvery in Brighton Road. To request a trip booking form and to book a place at the lunch, please call Tanya Fitzgerald on 020 8684 5890.

Croydon Macmillan Care and Cope Support Group (for carers of people with cancer) will be holding a special Carers Week meeting on Tuesday 19 June with a buffet, guest speakers and taster sessions of complimentary therapies. New members always welcome. Call Benny Millier on 020 8667 9893 for details. 

Dulwich Picture Gallery (www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk) will be marking National Carers Week by offering complimentary tours of the Gallery to carers groups. You can enjoy a tour with one of their friendly guides and then relax and reflect on your day in the Linbury Room with a cup of coffee. Guided tours last approximately one hour. Carers Groups are welcome to arrange a group visit, but individual carers will only be eligible if you state that you are part of the Carers' Information Service. To book a time slot and for further enquiries, contact Michelle Douek on 020 8299 8734 or email m.douek@dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk (after 12 June).

The mobile information and advice service for the over 50s in Croydon will be available at a number of different venues this month and will be aiming to reach out to carers as part of Carers Week. The service offers free, specialist advice from a number of experts working together, time for an initial chat, up to date information and advice towards an overall healthier lifestyle. The month's timetable can be viewed at www.croydonpop.org.uk.

Anyone living with or caring for a relative with a mental health problem is invited to join peer support workshops that are held at Bethlem Royal Hospital. The workshops take the form of a two hour educational workshop held every month, over six months. The next workshop will be held on 5 July, on the topic of "enhancing the mental health carers' contribution to healing". For more information, contact Esther Craddock, Education and Training Advisor on 020 3228 5320 or email esther.craddock@slam.nhs.uk.

The next meeting of the Hear-Us User Group will be on Tuesday 12 June at the Fairfield Club, 10 Altyre Road, Croydon CR0 5LA (opposite East Croydon station) from 1pm onwards. The group will be discussing home treatment and the new triage ward at Bethlem Hospital. The new Mayor of Croydon will also be on hand to present certificates of achievement to volunteers, as part of the National Volunteers Week celebrations. The meeting is open to anyone with an interest in mental health and wellbeing.

The South London and Maudsley (SLaM) NHS Trust is offering a one day workshop for carers of people with an eating disorder on Friday 29 June, 9.30am-4.30pm at Park Crescent Conference Centre, International Students House, 229 Great Portland Street, London W1W 5PN. For information and to book a place, contact Veronica Kamerling on 01256 704 117 or email veronica@talktalkbusiness.net. The cost is £60 if booked before June 15 and £80 thereafter.

Croydon Council and Age UK Croydon are hosting a joint event for world elder abuse day on Tuesday 19 June, 10am-1pm at Scratchley Hall, 81 Brigstock Road, Thornton Heath CR7 7JH on the subject of care at home. There will be presentations from service users, Croydon Safeguarding Team, the Care Quality Commission and Age UK. The event will be an opportunity to network, share experiences and to find out the latest information on home care. If you are interested in attending, please email your details to sophia.braithwaite@croydon.gov.uk.

The QCA is undertaking an inspection of home care services, which will include 250 unannounced inspections. Two surveys are underway- one for people receiving home care and the other for relatives and carers. Each takes 20 minutes to complete and can be found at www.cqc.org.uk. Both surveys close at the end of August 2012.

Independent Age has a useful guide for older people that can be accessed online, or ordered via the website for free. It also includes a section for carers. Go to: www.independentage.org/help-and-advice/wise-guide.aspx

The Saga Respite for Carers Trust aims to give carers a break, by providing free holidays for carers and their companions. To qualify you must be over 50, have been caring for someone for more than a year, not taken a significant holiday away from your caring responsibilities within the last year and not be a professional carer. See www.saga.co.uk/care/carers-trust.aspx for more details.

Did you know that there are a lot of online forums that carers can participate in which offer the opportunity to chat with other carers?  Here's a selection of some of the many national charities that host forums: 

Parkinson's Society: www.parkinsons.org.uk/pdsforum/default.aspx. 

Contact a Family: www.makingcontact.org. 

Stroke Association: www.stroke.org.uk/talkstroke. 

Multiple Sclerosis Society: www.mssociety.org.uk/ms-support/community-blog.

Alzheimer's Society: www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents.php?categoryID=200125.

Mencap: www.mencap.org.uk/communitylp.

Macmillan: www.community.macmillan.org.uk

Action on Hearing Loss: www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk/community.aspx.

Royal National Institute for the Blind: www.rnib.org.uk/getinvolved/onlinecommunity/Forum/Pages/forum.aspx.

Adfam: www.adfam.org.uk/get_involved/supportplus_info.

Croydon Community Neuro-Rehabilitation Team is running brain injury educational groups for anyone affected by brain injury, including carers and family members on 13, 20 and 27 June, 3.30-5pm. The topic of session one is understanding brain injury; session two is memory and problem solving strategies and session three is managing mood after brain injury. Participants who have attended previous groups have reported finding them very useful. The group meets at the Whitehorse Resource Base, 89 Whitehorse Road, Croydon CR0 2JJ. For further details and to book a place contact Stacey Earl on 020 8274 6492.

KIDS Croydon Parent Partnership Service will be running a free workshop for parents on Thursday 21 June, 10am-12noon on the topic of strategies for supporting children with dyslexia. There will also be a parents coffee morning on Wednesday 27 June from 10am-12noon. Both meetings will be held at Courtyard House, 1d Church Road, Croydon CR0 1SG. To book a place, call Virginija on 020 8649 9339, option 4.

The Queen's Speech on 9 May announced a Children and Families Bill, which will include measures to improve provision for children with special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities.  Proposed changes include replacing SEN Statements with an Education, Health and Care Plan and giving parents or young people the right to a personal budget for their support.  The Every Disabled Child Matters campaign has broadly welcomed the proposals but is concerned that a single assessment process may leave many children with social care and or health needs without support. Read more at www.edcm.org.uk.

Call the Carers' Information Service on 020 8649 9339, option 1 if you would like to book a one hour, free debt advice session on Friday 29 June between 10am and 2pm at our offices in Courtyard House. This service is being offered in partnership with the London Disability Debt Advice Service and offers impartial debt advice to people in Croydon who are affected by disability or long-term illness, including carers. We have been running this service for three months as a pilot project and the feedback from users so far has been excellent. One carer, who looks after two disabled children said, "Brilliant - I know what I'm doing now and they've sorted everything out."

The DPACT monthly support support group, which is open to parents and carers with any disability, provides emotional, social and practical support. The next meeting will be held on Friday 29 June from 10am-12noon at Courtyard House, 1d Church Road, Croydon CR0 1SG. For more details, call Carol Dorrington on 07957 179 690.

Family Space Croydon is a new website which aims to provide a searchable, online space for anyone wanting to find out about child and family services in Croydon. See www.familyspacecroydon.co.uk to find out more.

Shape is a disability led arts organisation working to improve access to the arts and culture for disabled people. The organisation has a new scheme called Shape Diamonds which enables disabled people to participate in London 2012 events such as the Cultural Olympiad. Membership is free. To find out more, call 0845 521 3457 or visit www.shapearts.org.uk/audiencesandtraining/shapediamonds.aspx.